It is often necessary, in both consumer and commercial contexts, to wait for a water source to reach a suitable temperature prior to use. For example, it is very common for an individual to turn on the hot water in the shower, or at a sink, and then wait for an extended length of time until the water is at the correct temperature.
Additionally, vast amounts of water and energy are wasted each year due to the delay in receiving water at the correct temperature. That is, as most individuals are reluctant to stand by the shower and/or tub and continuously monitor the water temperature for many minutes, a significant amount of hot water is simply lost down the drain. This increases both water costs as well as heating costs. Multiplied by the number of individuals that must engage in this practice on a daily basis, the water and energy waste is significant.
A flow control valve utilized in a household, such as to provide the delivery of water to a tub and/or showerhead, typically sees a water pressure of at least 100 psi. This high water pressure can affect the operation of the water control valve when it includes moving parts. For instance, the pressure at an upstream port relative to the pressure at a downstream port can negatively affect the performance of the flow control valve. Moreover, this high pressure can require operational portions of the valve to be comprised of more expensive and stronger materials to withstand any pressure differentials between the upstream port, and the downstream port.
In a water system including both a bathing tub and a showerhead, the tub has a faucet that is configured to dispense water at a high rate. Typically, water dispenses through a tub faucet at the high rate, such as 6-10 gallons per minute, as there are no water saving control valves utilized in a tub faucet. When a user wants to take a shower, the user activates a diverter valve to redirect heated water away from the tub faucet and to the shower head. This scenario wastes a tremendous amount of water through the tub faucet, considering that the average user may run water through the tub faucet an average of 45 seconds after the water is warm before manually activating the faucet diverter valve to operate the showerhead.
Moreover, temperature controlled water saving valves are not utilized in tub faucets because many users want to take cold showers and baths.
There is desired a water control system including a tub faucet and showerhead that reduces the amount of water waste through the tub faucet before operating the showerhead, yet which permits a user to override the system.